A couple of years ago it was announced that the Silver Meadows Apartments on the west end of town had been acquired by a new owner who was hoping to secure tax credit assistance to make some substantial reinvestments in the property.

The apartment complex has begun to show it’s age and it serves a critical need for low income housing options in Kent, so this was very encouraging news.

The new ownership group spent time with us outlining their vision and they spent a couple of hundred thousand of their own funds immediately to address some of the most pressing problems on the property but we’ve been waiting to hear if they secured their multi-million dollar financing package.

Great news, we just heard that they got their funding so that reinvestment project should move forward this year.

Here’s the details:

The Villages at Franklin Crossings, formerly called Silver Meadows Apartments, was acquired by the developer Millenia Housing Development, Ltd. , in 2015 with its affiliate, Franklin Crossing Ohio Investment, LLC, acting as the project’s General Partner. Millenia is an affordable housing developer that has a focus acquiring and redeveloping existing affordable housing complexes that may be in need of significant renovations and improvements.

The Villages at Franklin Crossings is an existing residential development comprised of 37 apartment buildings, with a total of 444 housing units available for rent. The apartment complex primarily provides affordable housing for low-to-moderate income households. Currently, about 52% of the units receive project-based housing voucher rental assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD).

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) allocated Millenia funds in 2016 to be used for the needed renovations of kitchens, bathrooms and mechanical systems in approximately 348 of the 444 units. Proposed renovations will also include improvements and needed upgrades in the common areas (stairways,halls, lobby), building laundry rooms, installation of a new security system for the entire site, exterior work (roof repair, gutters, windows, etc.), installation of front entry canopies, and dumpster enclosures.

Thankfully, we live in an age where structural fires and fire fatalities are far less common but the tragic warehouse fire in Oakland earlier this month was a reminder for how dangerous fires remain.

Here’s a couple of U.S. fire safety charts that show how far fire safety has come come:

Better building codes, better fire retardant construction materials, better alarm technology, and better trained and equipped firefighters is good news for all of us.

Better is great, but it’s not perfect, and when it comes to fire safety the goal is to be perfect. Even 1 death is 1 too many when it’s someone you love, so there’s still work to be done.

Kent’s Fire and EMS call data has increased slightly over the last couple of years but that’s primarily a result of the growth in the population we serve, particularly all of the new student housing complexes, rather than a reflection of fire safety.

The Kent Fire Department is in the life saving business but their favorite statistics are all the fires that didn’t happen and the lives they didn’t have to save.

Kent Fire personnel spend a lot of time on fire prevention, education and fire safety awareness to make sure the trend line for fires that don’t happen is on the rise.

The Department does a great job at reaching out to at-risk populations to make sure they understand the little things they can do that pay off in big ways in fire safety.

We’re all at risk but certain segments of our population, like the elderly, disabled, and children, are often least able or least prepared to deal with fire so the Fire Department targets those groups to get some extra attention.

Crowded parties in older buildings are the kinds of things that keep a Fire Chief awake at night which is why the Kent Fire Department reaches out to the Greek community each year to provide a little extra fire safety training with their “Greek Academy.”

The Kent Fire Department hosts an annual Greek Fire Academy where Kent State sorority and fraternity members get a hands-on lesson in navigating a smoke filled room in the dark, figuring out exit routes, and testing skills to survive a structural fire.

The fact is once a fire hits, split second decisions can be the difference between life and death, and making a little forethought a habit can be a life saver.

A few light snow flakes were falling in Kent this afternoon, which can only mean one thing — Santa’s on his way.

With some help from his favorite local elves, Santa has arranged to fly-in for an early visit to Kent at the annual Festival of Lights this Saturday, December 3rd.

The head-elf in charge of Santa’s social media sent around this announcement to make sure everyone gets their Santa selfie and has a chance to clear-up any misunderstanding with the naughty list:

“Bundle up the kids (of all ages) and plan to be in downtown Kent for the arrival of the big guy in the red suit and white beard during the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Festival of Lights on Saturday, December 3rd !

Once again this year in addition to Hometown Bank Plaza, Kent’s winter wonderland will include the Main Street bridge and gazebo.

Bring the kids and watch holiday favorites while waiting in line to see Santa!

The Dickens Carolers from The Light Church will entertain the crowd by singing holiday favorites and getting everyone ready for the big moment starting at 5:30 pm.

Santa will arrive at approximately 6:00 pm.

Families are encouraged to get there early because the line gets long, fast.

Don’t forget to bring your camera for a keepsake photo with Santa.

Once again there will be horse drawn wagon rides throughout downtown starting and ending at Hometown Bank Plaza, compliments of College Town Kent!

The Kent Free Library in collaboration with the KSU Library will continue the tradition of handing out age-appropriate books to the children after they see Santa.

Donations are being accepted to help defer the cost of the books.

Please send checks made out to the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce to: 176 East Main Street, Suite 303.

Many local merchants are extending their business hours, so stop in and support them, and get some early Christmas shopping done.

Bring the family to this festive community event and share in the spirit of the season.

The ever-popular event is sponsored by the following organizations: Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, Kent Junior Mothers, Kent Lions, Kent Kiwanis Club and Kent Parks & Recreation.”

Despite perfect weather conditions for attracting large crowds of anonymous and potentially inebriated revelers, Halloween avoided the problems that often accompany that mix — and was thankfully a safe night for everyone involved.

This year Halloween in Kent was a 3 day event — starting Friday night with Main Street Kent’s “family friendly” trick or treating at the downtown stores, followed by the “unofficial” downtown costume ball on Saturday, and wrapping up Sunday afternoon with Kent’s annual neighborhood trick or treating.

Here’s some great photos complements of Main Street Kent and their family friendly Halloween (sorry no photos from Saturday night, too many were R-rated):

Really ambitious “Halloweeners” could even stretch an extra day out of the weekend by visiting our neighboring cities to sneak in another round of confectionary treats on Monday, actual Halloween Day.

4 consecutive days of sugar, leaving parents looking like a Walking Dead episode.

Years of experience has taught us that Kent loves it’s costumes and it’s parties, so we always prepare for the worst — but this year we got the best.

Crazy costumes, standing room only in bars and restaurants, and the kind of quirky stuff you only find in Kent.

What we didn’t find was a lot of trouble.

There were some drinking related incidents but the Police reported 38 arrests which is down from prior years and more importantly, the arrests that were made were relatively minor in nature.

We had very few serious crimes reported and only one minor Police Officer injury. When the public and our Officers come home safe and sound, that’s a good night.

Likewise, Fire/EMS calls were also below prior years but during the peak hours we did have every unit out on call.

The crowd may have been slightly down on the street but the bars and restaurants were still standing room only — we think, thanks in large part to the Indians World Series game.

Lots of work goes into planning for public safety around every event, especially Halloween, but if we can keep the Indians in the World Series every year, that may be our best strategy of all.

My thanks to all the City employees that pulled double-duty to keep the rest of us safe this past Halloween weekend — and especially those that came back in for triple duty on Sunday to pass out candy to kids from the back of the Police cars.

In engineering parlance, the Dan Smith Community Park is “substantially complete.” WAHOO!

For us non-engineers, that means enough of the pieces are in place and working that we can hold the official unveiling — which is set for Thursday October 20th at 4:30 pm — at (where else?) the Dan Smith Park in downtown Kent.

The Park is located in the heart of downtown Kent, between Bar 145 and the Landmark Apartment building on Erie Street just south of Acorn Alley.

The Dan Smith Park is a great way to honor Dan’s legacy and it’s full of reminders of what made Dan so special to our community.

Dan was famous for his performances with his rock band so a stage is a central feature of the park.

Dan was a dedicated dad, train buff, and weekend visitor at the Ohio River so there’s an emphasis on providing space for kids and families that centers around a train, a water feature, and other natural outdoor elements.

Dan loved people, sharing stories and laughs — so the park is laid out with plenty of room to relax, kick back, hang out, people watch, and socialize. You’ll find games, Adirondack chairs and tables, and swinging benches all of which reflect a part of Dan.

Dan could always rally the community for a great cause and he saved his best work for last — a Park dedicated in his honor.

I miss him every day but the opening of the Park makes sure we have a piece of him close-by, whenever we need him.